The NSCA Certification Commission is committed to ensuring that no individual with a disability is deprived of the opportunity to sit for the Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist® (CSCS®) and/or NSCA-Certified Personal Trainer® (NSCA-CPT®) exams solely by reason of their disability. Candidates may request special accommodations if they have a medical condition or disability that is recognized by the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) that would prevent them from taking the exam as it is typically administered for both the computer-based and paper/pencil formats.

A special accommodation form containing information from the candidates healthcare provider must be submitted at least 45 days before a candidates scheduled exam date to be eligible to receive special accommodations. Computer-based exam candidates requesting special accommodations must wait to schedule their exam appointment until after receiving e-mail notice from Applied Measurement Professionals (AMP).

Before the candidates scheduled exam date, the candidates will receive notification from the NSCA Certification Commission of the accommodations that they will receive. If the special accommodation form is not provided with the appropriate healthcare provider information, the NSCA Certification Commission will not provide special accommodations. Special accommodations will not be made for those whose primary language is not English.

To be protected by the ADA, one must have a disability or have a relationship or association with an individual with a disability. An individual with a disability is defined by the ADA as a person who has a physical or mental impairment that substantially limits one or more major life activities, a person who has a history or record of such an impairment or a person who is perceived by others as having such an impairment. The ADA does not specifically name all of the impairments that are covered.

Special accommodations for those who qualify may include extended exam time (maximum time allowed: time and a half), an exam reader, replay of the exam video segments and, in certain situations, a separate exam room. These special accommodations are designed to help the NSCA Certification Commission to better assist exam candidates with disabilities. The NSCA Certification Commission will continue to work with exam sites to ensure they have the resources needed to implement these special accommodations.